Electrical cord retracting mechanism

ABSTRACT

An electrical cord retracting mechanism according to the present invention comprises an enclosure having a shaft journaled for rotation therein. A spiral spring is disposed within the enclosure with the inner extremity thereof secured to the shaft while the outer extremity of the spring is secured to the enclosure. An electrical supply cord is wound between the coils of the spring and is connected at one extremity thereof to an inlet electrical receptacle fixed to the enclosure structure while the other extremity of the supply cord terminates in a second supply receptacle. A mandrel that is disposed within the enclosure is rotatable about the shaft and receives an electrical appliance cord being wound thereabout. One extremity of the appliance cord is received within the second supply receptacle while the other extremity thereof extends through an aperture formed in the housing in order to allow ready access thereto.

United States Patent Banister [s41 ELECTRICAL com) RETRACTING MECHANISM72 Inventor: Lionel w. Banister, 221s Hazard,

Apt. 6, Houston, Tex. 77019 [22] Filed: June 2, 1971 [21] Appl. N0.:149,199

[52] US. Cl. ..l91/12.4, 242/107 R [51] Int. Cl. ..H02g 11/02 [58] Fieldof Search. ..191/12 R, 12.2 R, 12.4; 242/107 R, 107 B, 107.6

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,300,572 lll967 Dahlgren..191/12 R 1,171,745 2/1916 Mundy ..191/12.2R 3,346,705 10/1967 Slinkard..191/12.4

Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-D. W. KeenAttorney-William E. Ford and James L. Jackson 45] Dec. 12, 1972 ABSTRACTAn electrical cord retracting mechanism according to the presentinvention comprises an enclosure having a shaft journaled for rotationtherein. A spiral spring is disposed within the enclosure with the innerextremity thereof secured to the shaft while the outer extremity of thespring is secured to the enclosure. An electrical I supply cord is woundbetween the coils of the spring and is connected at one extremitythereof to an inlet electrical receptacle fixed to the enclosurestructure while the other extremity of the supply cord terminates in asecond supply receptacle. A mandrel that is disposed within theenclosure is rotatable about the 'shaft and receives an electricalappliance cord being wound thereabout. One extremity of the appliancecord is received within the second supply receptacle while the otherextremity thereof extends through an aperture formed in the housing inorder to allow ready access thereto.

12 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures P'A'TENTED um 12 I972 SHEET 1 OF 2INVENTOR. LIONEL W BAN/5 752 ATTOQNE 7'5 ELECTRICAL CORD RETRACTINGMECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relatesgenerally to the use of electrical appliances, particularly in thekitchen and more specifically to an electrical cord retracting mechanismthat provides safe storage for electrical cords and maintains such cordsin a readily accessible location. a

Modern technology has developed many electrically energized appliancesfor use in the kitchen of homes to reduce the amount of effort necessaryfor the preparation of foods and for the maintenance of cleanliness.Many of the kitchen appliances are adapted to be used on the kitchencounter and are frequently stored on portions of the kitchen counter forready access when needed. Most electrically energized kitchen appliancessuch as toasters, coffee makers, electric skillets, and the like havedetachable cords for electrical connection thereof to electrical outletsdisposed adjacent the work counters. When such cordsare removed from theappliances for storage it becomes difficult to identify a particularcord for a particular appliance when several appliance cords are storedwithin the storage cabinet or drawer. This problem frequentlynecessitates removing more than one cord from the storage drawer and,after selecting the proper appliance cord, returning the remaining cordsto the storage cabinet or drawer. This is of course an annoyingcondition that has not been effectively overcome by any presentlyavailable retractable electric cord storage systems.

Since many electrical kitchen appliances are stored on the kitchencabinet structures when not in use, the appliance cords connecting theappliances to electrical outlets frequently litter the cabinet surfacesand present a hazardous condition especially where water is used in thevicinity of the electrical cords.

Electrical appliance cord retracting mechanisms have been developed butthese structures have not been commercially acceptable, especiallybecause of their expensive nature which results primarily because of thecomplicated mechanisms involved. Cord retracting mechanisms typicallyare provided with a separate supply conductor for connection of themechanism to an electrical outlet. Connection between the supplyconductor and the electrical appliance cord is typically establishedthrough an expensive slipdisc structure that allows rotation of amandrel about which the cord is wound without breaking the electricalconnection with the electrical supply conductor. The slip-disc structureordinarily utilized in such electrical cord retracting mechanisms isfrequently subject to wear thereby necessitating frequent repair orreplacement thereof. Moreover, the expensive nature of such slip-discstructures adversely affects the competitive nature of the cordretracting mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the view therefore toward overcoming ofthe aforementioned difficulties, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide a novel electrical cord retracting mechanism thatprovides safe storage and ready access for conventional electricalappliance cords.

is adapted to be retained on a cabinet counter top and is also adaptedto be suspended from a kitchen cabinet as desired.

Among the several objects of the present invention is noted thecontemplation of a novel electrical cord retracting mechanism that isprovided in the form of a unit that may be connected to other similarcord retracting mechanism units in order to provide a number of readilyaccessible electrical appliance cords as desired by the customer.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel electricalcord retracting mechanism that is adapted to receive virtually anyconventional electrical appliance cord.

7 It is an even further object of the present invention to provide anovel electrical cord retracting mechanism that utilizes simple partsthat are not susceptible to wear and is therefore simple in nature,reliable in use, and low in cost.

The above and other objects and novel features of the instant inventionwill be readily apparent from the a following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expresslyunderstood that the drawings are provided for the purpose ofillustration and are not intended to define the limits of the invention,but rather merely illustrate preferred embodiments and structuresincorporating the features of the instant invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specification and wherein like reference numerals areemployed to designate like parts:

FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of an electrical cord retractingmechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view in elevation of the electricalcord retracting mechanism of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a pair of electrical cord retractingmechanisms. and illustrating connection of the same into an assembledunit.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a portion of a kitchen cabinetstructure illustrating suspension of a number of assembled electricalcord mechanisms from the cabinet structure.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary isometric view of the enclosure portion of anelectrical cord retracting mechanism showing the electrical supply plugthereof in detail.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view illustrating a plurality of electricalcord retracting mechanism units assembled into a single unit for storageon a kitchen counter top and for electrical connection to an electricaloutlet through a single supply conductor.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of the mandrel of FIG. 1,illustrating the plug connecting mechanism thereof in detail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention briefly concerns theprovision of electrical cord retracting mechanisms provided withexternal male and female connection structures to enable the mechanismsto be connected into a multi-unit assembly and to enable electricalenergy to be supplied from household electrical outlets to the assembledunits through a single electrical conductor. Each of the electrical cordretracting mechanisms comprises an enclosure having a shaft journaledfor rotation therein. A coil spring is disposed within the housing withthe exterior extremity thereof connected to the enclosure while theinner extremity of the spring is disposed-in connection with therotatable shaft. An electrical supply cordis wound between the coils ofthe spring with the outer extremity thereof received in electricalconnection with an inlet receptacle provided in the enclosure structure.The inner extremity of the supply cord is connected to an electricalreceptacle disposed within a mandrel located .within the enclosure aboutthe rotatable shaft. The mandrel is rotatable with the shaft and springstructure. An electrical appliance cord is wound about the mandrel withone extremity thereof connected to the supply receptacle and the otherextremity thereof extending through an aperture formed in the enclosurestructure for ready access.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED D EMBODIMENTS Referring now to thedrawings for a more detailed description-of the present invention, inFIG. 1 is illustrated an electrical cord retracting mechanism generallyat having enclosure sections 12 and 14 that interfit to define agenerally rectangular enclosure 16, as illustrated best in FIG. 3,having parallel side walls 18 and 20 and generally planar top and bottomwalls 22 and 24, respectively, and a rear wall 26. The front wall of theenclosure 16 is defined by upper and lower front wall segments 28 and30, respectively, which cooperate with arcuate from surfaces 32 and 34of the side walls 18 and 20 respectively to define an aperture 35 in theenclosure structure. An arcuate closure 36 is disposed within theenclosure structure and is movable between a lower position closing theenclosure aperture and an upper position opening the aperture andexposing the electrical appliance cord located therein.

With reference now to FIG. 2, illustrating a sectional view of theelectrical cord retracting mechanism of this invention, a pair ofbearing members 40 and 42 are connected respectively to side walls 18and 20 of the enclosure. The bearings 40 and 42 may be composed of anysuitable metal or plastic bearing structure and if desired may be formedintegrally with the wall structures l8 and 20. A rotatable shaft 44 isdisposed within the enclosure and is journaled for rotation withinapertures 46 and 48 formed within the bearings 40 and 42 respectively. Apair of plate members 50 and 52 are also disposed within the enclosureand are rotatable along with the shaft 44. The plates 50 and 52 defineretainer walls for a coil spring member 54 disposed therebetween. Thecoil spring is provided with a straight portion, as illustrated at 56 inFIG. 1, that is secured to a wall of the enclosure 16 in any desiredmanner. The inner extremity of the coil spring 54 is secured to therotatable shaft 44 by means of screws 58 or the like.

An electrical supply cord 60 is wound between the coils of the spring 54and isprovided with a connector plug 62 at the outer extremity thereofthat is adapted to be received within an inlet receptacle 64 fixed tothe enclosure 13. A supply cord 66 is disposed in electrical connectionwith the receptacle 64 and is provided with a plug 68 to be receivedwithin an appropriate electrical supply outlet 70. As best illustratedin FIG. 7, the inner extremity of the electrical supply cord 60 isconnected by screws 72 or the like to an electrical receptacle 74defined in a mandrel 76 also disposed within the enclosure 16. Themandrel 76 is rotatable along with the shaft 44 and may either be aseparate structural element fixed to the shaft 44 or may be formedintegrally with the plate if desired. As illustrated particularly inFIG. 7, the receptacle 74 is recessed within the mandrel structure inorder to allow the plug portion 78 of an electrical appliance cord 80 tobe received within a recess or opening 82 formed in the mandrelstructure in order to prevent excessive bending of the cord 80 as thecord emerges from the recess. The mandrel 76 is providedwith an annularflange 84 that provides for restraint of the appliance cord 80.

As illustrated particularly inFIG. 2, a ratchet gear 88 is connected toor formed integrally with the plate 52 as desired and is adapted toengage a pawl 90 retained by a pivot 92 in assembly with the wall 18 ofthe enclosure. The pawl 90 is biased by a spring member 94 secured atone extremity thereof to the enclosure by means of a post 96. The pawland ratchet gear structure effectively allow the appliance cord to bewithdrawn to the desired length where the retracting mechanism isallowed to become locked to maintain the appliance cord in the desiredposition. When it is desired to fully retract the appliance cord it issimply, necessary to apply a force thereto sufficiently to impart aslight'movement to the retracting mechanism at which time the force maybe released, thereby allowing the retracting mechanism to fullywithdraw.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, the enclosure 16 may be assembledin order to provide a plurality of electrical appliance cords in asingle assembly connected by a single electrical supply conduit to anelectrical wall receptacle. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the electricalsupply receptacle 64 is provided with male electrical connectors 98 thatextend outwardly of side wall 18 of the enclosure. As illustrated inFIG. 3 each of the enclosures is provided with a female electricalreceptacle that may be formed integral with or fixed to the side wall 20in any desired manner. The male and female electricalconnectingstructures 98 and 100 establish electrical connection as theenclosures 16 are brought into intimate assembly. When this has beenaccomplished, electrical connection is made to a plurality of assembledenclosures through a single electrical supply conduit 66 as indicatedparticularly in FIGS. 4 and 6. If desired, the electrical supply cord 66may be received by the male connectors 98 of one of the assembled cordretracting units. In the alternative, the unused male connectors may bereceived by a protective cover 101 of electrically non-conductivematerial such as plastic.

OPERATION When it is desired to retract the electrical appliance cordwith the enclosure 16 resting upon a counter top, as illustrated in FIG.6, or suspended from a cabinet structure, as illustrated in FIG. 4, itis simply necessary to raise the movable closure 36 thereby gainingaccess to the aperture 35 of the enclosure. The electrical appliancecord 80 is then grasped and force is applied thereto to pull the samethrough the aperture 35. When the cord 80 is pulled the mandrel 76 isrotated, thereby causing rotation of the shaft 44, the plates 50 and 52,and the inner extremity of the coil spring 54. When this occurs, thespring 54, being secured to the enclosure at the outer extremity thereofis subjected to tortional forces and causing the spring to store energy.If desired, the spring may be subjected to a predetermined amount ofpreload energy to insure return of the same to its original condition.When the appliance cord 80 has been retracted to the desired length,pressure is relaxed slightly thereon allowing the pawl 90 to be forcedby spring 94 into positive engagement with the teeth of the ratchet gear88 thereby locking the mechanism against further rotation. The cordretracting mechanism will remain in this position until further movementis induced thereto by pulling on the appliance cord 80 a slight amountthereby allowing the pawl to release its locking engagement with theratchet gear. When this has occurred the stored energy of spring 54 willrotate the spring back to its initial position thereby causing themandrel 76 to rotate to a position completely retracting the appliancecord 80 within the aperture 35. After this has beenaccomplished, theclosure 36 may be lowered thereby providing complete protection for theelectrical appliance cord disposed therein.

When it is desired to assemble two or more of the enclosures 16 intoassembly, it is simply necessary to bring the male and femalereceptacles thereof into engagement in order to establish electricalinterconnection. The number of enclosures that may be so assembled islimited only by electrical safety limitations.

In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that [have provided anovelelectrical cord retracting mechanism that solves the storageproblem typically encountered during use of detachable appliance cords.It is simply necessary in this case to select the desired cord fromthose presented to the user and to grasp the cord and extend it to thedesired length. The kitchen cabinet structure on or adjacent which theelectrical cord retracting mechanisms of this invention are disposedwill obviously remain free from litter by used or unused electricalcords thereby providing a safer and more convenient place for kitchenworking operations. My invention is adapted to be used singly orconnected in a plurality of units as desired by the customer. Myinvention has been accomplished while utilizing simple parts that arenot susceptible to a high degree of wear, as compared with conventionalcord retracting mechanisms, and therefore is simple in nature, reliablein use, and low in cost. It is readily understood therefore that myinvention is well adapted to attain all of the objects and advantageshereinabove set forth together with other objects and advantages thatare inherent in the apparatus itself. While certain representativeembodiments and details thereof have been shown for the purpose ofillustrating this invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various changes and modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of my invention.

lclaim:

1. An electrical cord retracting mechanism comprising; an enclosure, ashaft journaled for rotation within said enclosure, spiral spring meansdisposed within said enclosure and having the inner extremity thereofsecured to said shaft and the outer extremity thereof being secured tosaid enclosure, a inlet receptacle fixed to said enclosure, anelectrical supply cord being wound between the folds of said spring andhaving one extremity thereof received within said inlet receptacle andthe other extremity terminating in a supply receptacle, a mandreldisposed within said enclosure about said shaft, an electrical appliancecord being wound about said mandrel, an aperture formed in saidenclosure, one extremity of said appliance cord being received withinsaid second supply receptacle and the other extremity thereof extendingthrough said aperture, means locking said mechanism in any desiredposition thereof.

2. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 1; saidcoil spring retainer means comprising a shaft journaled for rotationwithin said enclosure, the inner extremity of said spring being fixed tosaid shaft, spring guide means being rotatable with said shaft.

3. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 2; saidmandrel being rotatable with said spring guide means and being ofsmaller diameter than the diameter of said spring.

4. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 2; saidcoil spring retainer means comprising a shaft journaled for rotationwithin said enclosure, the inner extremity of said coil spring beingfixed to said shaft, a pair of retainer plates being disposed on eitherside of said spring and being rotatable with said shaft, said mandrelbeing supported by one of said plates.

5. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 2; saidsupply receptacle being carried by said mandrel and being oriented toprevent excessive bending of said appliance cord.

6. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 1; saidenclosure having external electrical connecting means whereby two ormore mechanisms may be disposed in operable assembly.

7. An electrical cord retracting mechanism comprising; an enclosure,spring retainer means rotatably disposed within enclosure, a coil springbeing disposed within said spring retainer and having one extremitythereof connected to said enclosure and the other extremity beingsecured to said spring retainer means, an electrical inlet receptaclecarried by said enclosure, an electrical supply cord being wound betweenthe coils of said coil spring, the inner extremity of said supply cordhaving a supply receptacle, the outer extremity of said cord beingconnected to said inlet receptacle, a mandrel disposed within saidenclosure and being rotatable along with said spring retainer means,said enclosure defining an access aperture, an electrical appliance cordbeing received in electrical connection with said supply receptacle andbeing wound about said mandrel, said appliance cord having the freeextremity thereof extending through said aperture.

8. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 7; saidinlet receptacle having male and female electrical connectors orientedto enable two or more cord retracting mechanisms to be disposed inabutted assembly with electrical circuits thereof interconnected.

9. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 8; saidsupply receptacle being carried by said mandrel, said appliance cordbeing received in electrical connection with said supply receptacle.

the uncompressed condition thereof thereby allowing said spring to havesuflicient force to return said appliance cord to the retracted positionthereof.

12. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 7; aratchet gear being carried in fixed relation with said spring retainermeans, a pawl movably connected to said enclosure and engaging saidratchet gear to lock said retracting mechanism in any desired positionthereof.

1. An electrical cord retracting mechanism comprising; an enclosure, ashaft journaled for rotation within said enclosure, spiral spring meansdisposed within said enclosure and having the inner extremity thereofsecured to said shaft and the outer extremity thereof being secured tosaid enclosure, a inlet receptacle fixed to said enclosure, anelectrical supply cord being wound between the folds of said spring andhaving one extremity thereof received within said inlet receptacle andthe other extremity terminating in a supply receptacle, a mandreldisposed within said enclosure about said shaft, an electrical appliancecord being wound about said mandrel, an aperture formed in saidenclosure, one extremity of said appliance cord being received withinsaid second supply receptacle and the other extremity thereof extendingthrough said aperture, means locking said mechanism in any desiredposition thereof.
 2. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recitedin claim 1; said coil spring retainer means comprising a shaft journaledfor rotation within said enclosure, the inner extremity of said springbeing fixed to said shaft, spring guide means being rotatable with saidshaft.
 3. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 2;said mandrel being rotatable with said spring guide means and being ofsmaller diameter than the diameter of said spring.
 4. An electrical cordretracting mechanism as recited in claim 2; said coil spring retainermeans comprising a shaft journaled for rotation within said enclosure,the inner extremity of said coil spring being fixed to said shaft, apair of retainer plates being disposed on either side of said spring andbeing rotatable with said shaft, said mandrel being supported by one ofsaid plates.
 5. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited inclaim 2; said supply receptacle being carried by said mandrel and beingoriented to prevent excessive bending of said appliance cord.
 6. Anelectrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 1; saidenclosure having external electrical connecting means whereby two ormore mechanisms may be disposed in operable assembly.
 7. An electricalcord retracting mechanism comprising; an enclosure, spring retainermeans rotatably disposed within enclosure, a coil spring being disposedwithin said spring retainer and having one extremity thereof connectedto said enclosure and the other extremity being secured to said springretainer means, an electrical inlet receptacle carried by saidenclosure, an electrical supply cord being wound between the coils ofsaid coil spring, the inner extremity of said supply cord having asupply receptacle, the outer extremity of said cord being connected tosaid inlet receptacle, a mandrel disposed within said enclosure andbeing rotatable along with said spring retainer means, said enclosuredefining an access aperture, an electrical appliance cord being receivedin electrical connection with said supply receptacle and being woundabout said mandrel, said appliance cord having the free extremitythereof extending through said aperture.
 8. An electrical cordretracting mechanism as recited in claim 7; said inlet receptacle havingmale and female electrical connectors oriented to enable two or morecord retracting mechanisms to be disposed in abutted assembly withelectrical circuits thereof interconnected.
 9. An electrical cordretracting mechanism as recited in claim 8; said supply receptacle beingcarried by said mandrel, said appliance cord being received inelectrical connection with said supply receptacle.
 10. An electricalcord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 8; said supply receptaclebeing formed integrally with said mandrel and defining a peripheralrecess, said electrical appliance cord having an electrical terminalconnector received within said recess in electrical connection with saidsupply receptacle preventing excessive bending of said appliance cord.11. An electrical cord retracting mechanism as recited in claim 7; saidmandrel being of substantially smaller diameter than the diameter ofsaid coil spring in the uncompressed condition thereof thereby allowingsaid spring to have sufficient force to return said appliance cord tothe retracted position thereof.
 12. An electrical cord retractingmechanism as recited in claim 7; a ratchet gear being carried in fixedrelation with said spring retainer means, a pawl movably connected tosaid enclosure and engaging said ratchet gear to lock said retractingmechanism in any desired position thereof.